


It's Broken

by HomeForImaginaryFriends



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Break Up, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Polyamory, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-22 09:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13761369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomeForImaginaryFriends/pseuds/HomeForImaginaryFriends
Summary: Daichi just suffered a bad break up with his boyfriend of five years, can Bokuto and Kuroo help comfort him?





	1. Chapter 1

Daichi woke up warm and comfortable.  He let out a deep breath as he pressed his face closer to the sleep warmed skin underneath him.  It had felt like ages since he had woken up like this. Safe and secure. Content. His eyes felt dry and sore and his head pounded in rhythm with his beating heart.  It was those feelings that dragged him out of his happy little bubble and reminded him exactly why he shouldn’t be feeling safe or secure, let alone content.

 

Daichi’s fingers curled into the fabric of the man's shirt he’s laying half on top of.  A body shifts behind him, a nose nuzzling the sensitive skin behind his ear. Fingers gently work through Daichi’s hair, soft and light.  The care the person takes makes Daichi’s eyes burn once again.

 

Daichi pushes himself up and away from the two bodies curled around his.  It’s too much for him to take, too many memories suddenly tainted in his mind now.

 

A phone beeps, which is probably what roused Daichi from his heavy sleep in the first place.

 

“Sorry, I tried to turn it off but I don’t know your passcode.”  Tetsurou spoke quietly, holding Daichi’s phone out. The screen is cracked, a permanent reminder of his last moments in his apartment.  Daichi did not want to look at his phone, didn’t want to see any of the missed calls or texts from the person he had left behind.

 

But Daichi was an adult and he had never run from his problems so why would he start right then?  He turned on his phone and saw a missed call and one new text. Neither were from the person he expected.

 

“We have a big project at work and they need some files I have.”  Daichi rubbed a hand over his tired face. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so tired.

 

He refused to cry because the texts weren’t from who he thought.  He needed to get his emotions in check.

 

“I thought you took the weekend off.”  Tetsurou said. Daichi had. The first time he had asked for any time off in five years.  He knew what he was going to do on Friday, knew he needed some time before going back to the daily grind.

 

He should have known better.

 

“We’ll go with you!”  Koutarou stated, popping up behind Daichi like he had been awake for hours and not like he had awoken a minute prior.

 

“Why?”  Daichi asked, brow furrowing.

 

“Well if you just have to drop off a file we can get food after.”  Koutarou stated as if it was the logical choice. “Tetsu was left by himself so that means there isn’t going to be a crumb in this place.”  Koutarou bounced out of the bed, stretching his long body before walking out of the bedroom. Daichi looked down at Tetsurou, who was still sprawled out on his back on the bed.

 

“I’ve learned not to argue with him.”  Tetsurou shrugged.

 

“You mean you can’t say no to to him.”  Daichi corrected, earning a grin from the other man.

 

“You saw how happy he was at the thought of going grocery shopping.”  Tetsurou sat up, stretching and groaning as his body cracked all over.  “What kind of monster would say no to that?” Daichi sighed because he wasn’t that monster either.

 

“It might be more than dropping off a few files.”  Daichi warned him as Tetsurou dragged himself out of the bed at a much slower pace than his bouncy boyfriend.

 

“You okay with this?”  Tetsurou asked, standing in the doorway and looking back at Daichi.  “I could take the files then Bo and I could give you some time alone.”  Something clogged up Daichi’s throat at the thought of being alone, only his spiralling thoughts to keep him company.

 

“I’d rather not.”  Daichi cleared his throat, embarrassed at the raspy tone.

 

Tetsurou looked at Daichi before he nodded and closed the door softly behind him.

 

Daichi let out a shaky breath and forced himself to move.  He tried not to think about anything as he got ready but he couldn’t help it because this was not his bedroom.  This was not his apartment and despite how they had all woken up that morning, those were not his boyfriend.

 

No, Daichi had left his apartment that he had lived in for three years with his boyfriend of five years.  His long term boyfriend who apparently hadn’t even realized Daichi no longer was living with him.

 

Daichi had waited.  He hadn’t wanted to break up through a letter or a phone call.  He had sat on the couch, his bags packed and his stomach twisting itself in knots.  He had waited.

 

And waited.

 

But his boyfriend didn’t come home.  Daichi had wrote a letter, feeling absolutely gutted as he did so but he couldn’t wait any longer.  It felt as if he had been holding his breath for months by that point and he couldn’t do it anymore.

 

Daichi had thought he and Hajime were in it for the long haul.  Daichi had known going into the relationship that Hajime had not been over his best friend and childhood crush but Daichi had believed five years of dating and years of shared friendship before that might have meant that Hajime loved him.  Maybe Daichi would never take the place of Oikawa in Hajime’s heart and that had been fine, Daichi had been willing to accept that but Daichi had expected more.

 

Did Hajime feel relieved when he read Daichi’s note?  Annoyed that it had taken Daichi months of missed dinners and ignored texts to finally move out?

 

At one point Daichi would never have thought so badly of Hajime but the Iwaizumi Hajime Daichi had grown to know, to love and care for, would never have treated him so poorly.

 

Four months ago Daichi had been satisfied with his life.  He didn’t really enjoy his job and the city life was wearing thing but he had been with Hajime.  Coming home had always re-energized Daichi because he knew Hajime would be there.

 

Until Hajime suddenly wasn’t.

 

Oikawa had blown in like a summer storm.  Daichi had noticed the changes in Hajime. He laughed a little louder, talked freer, went out more, and started working out once again.  Daichi had foolishly believed it was because Hajime was missing Miyagi like Daichi was and Oikawa was a little piece of it.

 

Daichi tugged on his tie as he walked out of his temporary bedroom.  He hadn’t meant to crash with Tetsurou and Koutarou but Tetsurou had insisted.  He said he got lonely since Koutarou was always travelling with his team. Daichi hadn’t expected Koutarou to be there, Tetsurou made it seem as if his boyfriend was never home, but Koutarou had been waiting on the couch with Tetsurou when Daichi had arrived.

 

The cuddling had been unexpected as well but Daichi had been in no mood to deny the physical comfort they provided without question.  Daichi had felt starved for touch, it was embarrassing to admit in the light of day but neither Tetsurou nor Koutarou had made it out to be a big deal so Daichi tried to shrug off his own conservative feelings.

 

“Why are you both dressed up?”  Daichi asked as he watched Koutarou finish putting the pastel pink bowtie on Tetsurou.  It looked surprisingly good against the dark gray button down. Koutarou’s own blue and pink checkered button down and gray tie almost matched Tetsurou’s, which was probably done purposely by their matching grins.

 

“You work requires business clothes, right?’  Koutarou asked as he motioned to himself and Tetsurou.  Tetsurou’s tall and lean frame meant most things looked good on him while Koutarou’s clothes had clearly been tailor fitted to hug his wide shoulders but still sit nicely around his trim waist.

 

Daichi felt frumpy next to them.  He had gained weight after college and there had been no volleyball to keep him in shape.  He took a deep breath because there was no helping that right now.

 

His brain helpfully provided that Oikawa had been in shape, able to work out with Hajime regularly and comfortable enough to walk around their apartment in towels and boxers.

 

“You’re not coming in.”  Daichi said as he grabbed his briefcase, checking quickly that the needed files were inside it.  He knew that they could easily access the files on any computer in their department. Daichi had no idea why his boss seemed to have it out for him but he hated Daichi, had almost since the first day Daichi had been hired in.

 

“But we’ve never seen where you work and I dressed nice.”  Koutarou pouted which was absurd really. Koutarou was over 80 kilograms, most of which was heavy muscle considering he had spent the majority of his life training his body.  Men as large as Koutarou shouldn’t pout and it definitely should not work.

 

“I guess I can give you a tour but it has to be quick and don’t touch anything.”  Daichi rubbed the back of his neck, shooting a glare at Tetsurou when he laughed. Apparently Daichi wasn’t any good at telling Koutarou no either.  He could have sworn there were many situations in college where he had to dissuade the overly enthusiastic man from doing one hairbrained scheme or another.

  
  
  


\------

  
  
  
  


“Daichi,” Koutarou said slowly as they made their way to the grocery store.  ‘Just dropping off files’ had turned into a two hour long affair on his supposed time off, and Daichi is pretty sure he wouldn’t get paid for it either.

 

Daichi doesn’t need Koutarou to say anything though.  He knows. His job isn’t high pressure or difficult, at least it wouldn’t be if everyone in the office didn’t treat him like a social pariah.

 

“It’s that asshole boss of his.”  Tetsurou scowled. “No one wants to get on his bad side so they all treat Daichi like shit.”  Daichi can feel the back of his neck heat up in embarrassment. He might have griped about the unfair treatment to Tetsurou a few dozen times.

 

It made him realize he never told Hajime about it.  Hajime had been friends with Daichi’s boss, that was how he got the job in the first place.  Daichi had tried to bring it up a couple times but Hajime had nothing but good things to say about Daichi’s boss.  Daichi didn’t want to seem ungrateful for the job so he kept quiet.

 

Daichi didn’t have to worry about that when he talked to Tetsurou.  Tetsurou always seemed to be on Daichi’s side and he was always indignant with every new story Daichi told him about his boss.  Tetsurou had even spent a couple days helping Daichi try to find a new job.

 

“Some of the guys on my team didn’t really like me at first so I was extra nice to them, have you tried that?”  Koutarou asked, his arm bumping lightly against Daichis.

 

“Bo, this is Sawamura Daichi we are talking about.”  Tetsurou stated from Daichi’s other side.

 

“What is that supposed to mean?”  Daichi asked, slightly offended.

 

“You’re nice to everyone.”  Koutarou answered, Tetsurou nodded his agreement.  “Except Tetsu.”

 

“No he was just polite-nice to me, which was scary as shit.”  Tetsurou shivered, as if remembering something traumatic.

 

“You weren’t scared of me, you tried to provoke me at everything.”  Daichi said.

 

“That’s just his defense mechanism when he feels threatened.”  Koutarou said as they entered the grocery store. Daichi grabbed a cart and started pushing it to the far left of the store.

 

“Then he must always feel threatened.”  Daichi muttered, earning a laugh from Koutarou and a sullen look from Tetsurou.

 

They shopped like that.  Teasing each other while Daichi and Tetsurou ignored all the junk Koutarou tossed into the cart.  It was odd. There was a sense of nostalgia about it all when the three of them used to go to the 24 hour mart, usually around three in the morning because it was the only time they all had free.  Roaming the aisles, grabbing what they wanted and then having to put items back because they were broke college students.

 

Whenever Hajime and Daichi had gone grocery shopping together, which wasn’t often, they stuck to a strict list.  Usually they broke off to get their half of the list and quickly left. Daichi just thought that was apart of being an adult, you didn’t have time to waste away going up and down each and every aisle.

 

Tetsurou and Koutarou stood a little down the aisle, arguing about name brand vs off brand cereal.  Daichi turned to the boxes next to them, felt his eyes heat up, the boxes blurring before him. Hot shame washed over Daichi.  He couldn’t believe he was about to cry in the cereal aisle at a grocery store.

 

Why did all of his memories with Hajime seem tainted now?  They had been in love, Daichi still loved Hajime. He didn’t even like grocery shopping so why did it matter if he didn’t have any good memories of shopping with Hajime?  Why was he wondering if Hajime enjoyed going to the market with Oikawa?

 

A large hand gripped Daichi’s shoulder, tugging him gently until his face was pressed against a checkered shirt.

 

“Why would I pay more for the exact same shitty cereal?”  Tetsurou asked, as if Daichi wasn’t having a meltdown in the middle of the store.

 

“You’re not allowed to have an opinion on my cereal when you hate them all.”  Koutarou stated, arm strong and warm against Daichi’s shoulders.

 

“But you leave me-”

 

“That’s so dramatic Tetsu.”

 

“And I have to eat the cereal before it expires so I should have a choice!”  Tetsurou argued back.

 

“Pretty sure it doesn’t expire that quickly and now I feel like you secretly love cereal but you’re too embarrassed to admit it.”  Koutarou said suspiciously, fingers pressing into Daichi’s arm. Not enough to hurt or leave marks, but enough to give comfort, to let Daichi know he had all the time in the world.

 

“Why would I be embarrassed?”  Tetsurou asked.

 

“Because you’ve made your stance on cereal very clear and now you feel like you can’t go back on it.”  It was a pointless argument really but Daichi could tell they both were enjoying it. That and the casual way they treated Daichi’s breakdown allowed him the time he needed to pull himself together.

 

“Cereal is disgusting!  It tastes like cardboard.”  Tetsurou stated firmly.

 

“And you know what cardboard tastes like?”  Koutarou asked, letting his hand slide along Daichi’s shoulders as he stepped back and gave his face a quick wipe to get rid of any stray tears.

 

“You know I do and I’m feeling so betrayed that you would bring that up right now.”  Tetsurou had a hand against his chest, his tone aghast.

 

“Oh man I forgot about that.”  Koutarou cracked up. There was a wet spot on his shirt but if he was willing to ignore it then Daichi would too.

 

“We made a blood oath never to speak of that night.”  Tetsurou whined, though his eyes looked over Daichi, soft with concern.  Daichi took the cereal they had been arguing about out of their hands and put both name brand and off brand into the cart.

 

“You pinky promised, there was not blood involved.”  Daichi corrected him, earning another snort from Koutarou as they continued down the aisle.

 

‘The Night That Should Not Be Mentioned’ was the first, and last, time Koutarou and Tetsurou had tried pot.  They had been brownies and it had been nearing Christmas which meant they all had a small break from classes and volleyball.

 

Daichi had a partime job at the on campus bookstore so he had come in after they had already ate the brownies.  They had ate the  **entire** brownie.  Koutarou had somehow stolen all the cushions from the student lounge and set up an impressively elaborate fort where he had barricaded himself in, positive that they were going to kick him off the team.  He was sure after he was kicked off the team and labelled a druggie, that he would flunk all his classes and his parents would disown him. He would be left on the streets, forced to sell his body in exchange for food.

 

Tetsurou had single handedly polished off all the food in the small dorm, even Daichi’s stash of junk food he had thought was hidden.  A lot of the volleyball team had made Tetsurou and Daichi’s shared dorm room their second home, and athletes ate a lot. Apparently the very fake gingerbread house they had was too much temptation and Daichi had to spend five minutes wrestling an incredibly slippery Tetsurou to get the cardboard away from him.  Though Tetsurou had managed a few bites of it.

 

It had been ridiculous and a pain.

 

It had also distracted Daichi from the fact that he couldn’t go home for Christmas and it had been hilarious.

 

That was most of Daichi’s experiences with Tetsurou and Koutarou.

 

Ridiculous, a pain, and hilarious.

  
  
  
  


\--------

  
  
  
  


Daichi collapsed on the couch.  He felt exhausted even though he didn’t really do much and it was only a little past noon.  Koutarou crashed onto the couch also, letting out a grunt of approval as he grabbed the remote.

 

There was a snort from the kitchen where Tetsurou was putting away groceries.  Daichi had offered to help but apparently Tetsurou had a particular set up that Daichi would “ruin” with his “plebeian ways”.

 

“Old man noises.”  Tetsurou called out from the kitchen as Koutarou made a couple more noises as he settled onto the couch.

 

“Don’t call me out like that, you know I’m sensitive!”  Somehow Koutarou had wiggled his way down the couch to use Daichi’s thigh as a pillow while is legs hooked over the arm of the couch.  “Hoarders is on Tetsu!” There was a happy whoop from the kitchen.

 

“Fuck making food, I’m ordering pizza.”  Tetsurou shuffled out to the living room, glancing at the couch before motioning to Daichi.  “Scoot over.”

 

“Why don’t you sit at the other end?”  Daichi grumbled but did as he was asked, picking up Koutarou’s head to move over then letting Koutarou resettle with his head fully on Daichi’s lap now.  Tetsurou squeezed into the spot opened for him.

 

“You’ve smelt Bo’s feet.”  Tetsurou said seriously. Koutarou tilted his head to look up at Daichi.

 

“They smell.”  Koutarou agreed gravely, making Daichi laugh.

 

“They smell so bad.”  Tetsurou whispered, clearly traumatized.  Daichi was pressed up against Tetsurou from shoulder to knees and it probably would have been more comfortable for him on one of the other chairs in the living room but both of them had always been like this.

 

Tetsurou and Koutarou had always thrown an arm around each others, or Daichi’s, shoulders.  Stepping close to him, leaning down and pressing into his space even when they had first met at 17.  Daichi was used to his team, who also had no idea what the word personal space meant let alone gave it to anyone, so he never commented or corrected them.  It had only gotten worse when Tetsurou and Daichi had shared a tiny dorm room and Koutarou crashed there more often than his own dorm. 

 

They gave away their affection so easily.  It made something in Daichi’s chest tighten though he really couldn’t put a word to it.  Even when they were dating, Hajime and Daichi never had the simple touches that Tetsurou and Koutarou did.  It hadn’t bothered Daichi at first, he just assumed Hajime wasn’t into it. Daichi was asexual, he couldn’t have sex without love there first, so casual intimacies had never been too important to him.

 

Until Oikawa had come to stay with them and Daichi had witnessed that Hajime didn’t mind casual touches.  He just didn’t do them with Daichi.

 

“Can’t believe you two still watch these trashy shows.”  Daichi’s voice was a bit raspier than usual, but he refused to cry  _ again _ .  When did it stop?  His eyes felt raw and it hadn’t even been a full day.

 

“How dare you call Hoarders a trashy show, this is television at its finest!”  Koutarou shouted out, mock outrage and real offense mixed together.

 

“Bo, it is trashy television though.”  Tetsurou said, earning a disappointed look from Koutarou before he tilted his head.

 

“It’s literally trashy television!  Because it’s a show about trash, I love it.”  Koutarou laughed and because he had wiggled his way even more into Daichi’s lap, presumably to get closer to Tetsurou, Daichi could feel that laugh against him.  It helped ground him, made it easier to breath. “Tetsu you know what show you could be on?”

 

“Next Top Model?”  Tetsurou asked with a sly grin as he pulled out his phone to pull up the pizza website.

 

“Strange Addictions.”  That earned a look from both Daichi and Tetsurou.  “I’m Kuroo Tetsurou, I’m 28 and I’m addicted to eating cardboard.”  Daichi pressed a hand against his mouth but a snort broke out. Koutarou beamed up at him with sheer pride burning in his eyes.

 

“I can’t believe you two, we  _ pinky promised _ !”  Tetsurou reached out to squeeze Koutarou’s nose, earning a surprised laugh.  “Just for that I’m ordering anchovies all over this pizza.”

 

“No I’m sorry!”  Koutarou’s voice came out nasally because Tetsurou was still pinching his nose shut.  “Look she has pee bottles!” Koutarou pointed to the screen.

 

“Gross.”  Daichi winced.

 

“Don’t be squeamish, if I remember this episode correctly it gets way worse than pee bottles.”  Tetsurou grinned, his arm coming around Daichi to half hug him. Daichi leaned against Tetsurou’s side, letting out a sigh of resignation.

 

“I want extra cheese and extra pepperoni on mine.”  Daichi said.

 

“I want mushrooms and pineapple and meat, all the meat Tetsu, tell them that, they didn’t take my serious last time but they need to know I mean business.”  Koutarou said seriously.

 

“I’ll put that in the notes, that Bokuto Koutarou means business and he wants all the pizza boys meat.”  There was a moment of silence before Daichi and Koutarou were groaning in union.

 

Daichi allowed himself this time, to joke and be close to his friends and pretend he hadn’t just sent his whole world crashing.

 

Daichi definitely did not think about the fact that his boyfriend of five years still hadn’t texted or called even though they hadn’t seen each other since yesterday morning.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“So you can finish these by tomorrow morning,” Oguri’s grin is self satisfied as Daichi looks at the pile of papers the other man had just dropped on his desk.  There was fifteen minutes left of the workday, many people were already packing up. The forms Oguri had just dropped off would take at least two hours and Daichi had a feeling the other man had them since before lunch.  “We are team players here after all and we all had to take on your workload while you took your little holiday.” Both of them knew Daichi couldn’t refuse.

 

If it had been a week ago Daichi might have felt his blood pressure rising, the daily indignities he had to go through for a job he started to hate more and more were outright ridiculous.  Some of the employees, especially the newer ones, were clearly uncomfortable with Daichi’s treatment but there were some, like Oguri, who quite enjoyed that their manager hated Daichi and favored those who treated him poorly.  It would have even been worse last week, knowing he would most likely come home to either an empty apartment or an indifferent boyfriend.

 

“No problem, I’ll have them on your desk before you come in tomorrow.”  Daichi took the papers and put them in front of him, scanning over the first one before finding the correct folder in the company's program.  He could feel Oguri’s beady eyes on the side of his face and he had to fight back a grin. “Have a good night.” A clear dismissal, though Daichi kept his tone cheerful.

 

It wasn’t as if he was completely happy, that everything that had been wrong in his life was solved suddenly.  But Koutarou and Tetsurou had been there the entire time, joking and distracting him when he needed it or pulling him close and letting him break down.

 

In the end nothing had been solved.  Daichi’s five year relationship had ended and his now ex-boyfriend hadn’t even bothered to call or text.  He worked at a job where he was degraded daily. He no longer had a place to call home and he was still living in a city where it felt like it was physically rejecting him.

 

But Daichi had woken up that morning warm and comfortable.  He had breakfast with an enthusiastic Koutarou and a less than enthusiastic Tetsurou, who hated mornings but still dragged himself out of bed to see Daichi off.  He had gotten texts from them throughout the day, encouragement from Koutarou and mostly cat pictures from Tetsurou.

 

Everyone had left the break room when he entered and his manager had cut his lunch early and now Daichi was going to be stuck at the office for a couple more hours but it had been a better day than he had had in months.  The breakup was still fresh but with every passing day he thought perhaps he had done the right thing, that maybe Hajime agreed with what Daichi had written in the letter and that’s why he hadn’t tried to contact Daichi because there was nothing really more to say.

 

Daichi took a slow deep breath in as he started on the pile of paperwork.  Distantly he heard the office clear out, automatic lights shutting off until he was surrounded by darkness in his own crowded cubicle.  He sent off a quick text in his group chat with Koutarou and Tetsurou, telling them he’d be back late. He felt a rush of warmth fill him when he had barely put his phone down and it buzzed with a new message.  It was ridiculous, being so happy just because there was someone waiting for him to get off work. He couldn’t remember the last time he had texted Hajime that he was coming back late. It had become a nightly occurrence and Hajime had eventually stopped responding so DAichi stopped sending them.  Often times he came home to a dark apartment, Hajime already in bed because he was always up early for his shirts at work.

 

Nights spent sleeping on the couch, telling himself it was because he didn’t want to wake Hajime.  Wishing the other man would show the smallest amount of interest, wonder why his long term boyfriend had suddenly taken to sleeping away from him.  But the questions never came and Daichi convinced himself he was being dramatic, that the problem was with him. He had to fix himself and not bother Hajime.

 

Lights flickered on, distracting Daichi from his spiralling thoughts.  He was surprised to see Yachi Hitoka, the new receptionist walking towards him.  Her smile was hesitant when she saw she had gained his attention though ehr steps never faltered.  Daichi worried about the young woman. She didn’t get on board with those who mocked or took advantage or even ignored Daichi, she seemed genuinely confused by the treatment.  He didn’t want her to be harrassed because she had a big heart.

 

“Yachi what are you doing here so late?  Do you need me to walk you to the bus stop?”  Daichi asked, standing up and cringing as his knees crackled.  Years of intense training for volleyball only to end up sitting at a desk everyday coming back to haunt him.

 

“Oh no, my fiance is here.”  Hitoka motioned to the front desk.  DAichi was surprised to see a tall young man with long hair pulled into a low bun, face covered in freckles standing there.  “I saw- you didn’t get to eat lunch.” Hikota winced, not able to say the truth. That someone had thrown out his lunch, again.  It had irked him more than normal, Koutarou had presented him the meal with such genuine happiness and pride that morning. Hitoka placed a takeout bag on Daichi’s desk.  She must have asked her fiance to bring it.

 

Daichi had always been a pretty emotional guy, his entire family was the same way.  Still, he was slightly embarrassed when he felt a heat behind his eyes and his throat tighten.

 

“Thank you.”  Daichi cleared his throat when he saw Hitoka’s own eyes tear up.  “How much do I owe you?”

 

“Please don’t worry about it!”  Hikota squeaked out, stopping herself mid-bow and looking embarrassed.  “Take care of yourself, I’ll see you tomorrow!” She took off toward her fiance, who did not look surprised at her hasty retreat or glassy eyes.

 

Daichi pulled the bag over to him after he had sat down.  He opened it to see a container of soup and some crackers.  He smiled to himself as he pulled it out, making short work of the gifted food as he started in on the paperwork.  He was at least thankful it wasn’t anything too difficult, though it just made it that much more obvious that he was being messed with.  It must be at least two weeks worth of neglect.

 

Daichi was surprised when his phone started buzzing, lighting up with an incoming video request.  Daichi couldn’t even pretend to scowl when Tetsurou’s face appeared on his screen.

 

“What’s that noise?”  Daichi asked before Tetsurou could even say anything.  Tetsurou’s grin turned into something a cartoon villain would be proud of, turning the camera to face whatever Tetsurou was leering at.  Daichi squinted at the pixelated screen before he could make out Koutarou doing some stretches.

 

Their university had a gym that was free to use for any student enrolled.  They had a lot of classes and pretty quickly the three of them had gotten bored with daily training in the gym for volleyball.  By the time they graduated they had all tried every single class offered. Tetsurou ended up being skilled at any kind of dance class from hiphop to ballroom to jazzercise.  Daichi excelled at anything that acquired endurance like taekwondo or boxing. Koutarou had come away with the happy knowledge that he was naturally flexible and with a couple of yoga-type classes he could twist his body in just about any shape he wanted.

 

“You’re gross.”  Daichi informed Tetsurou, who cackled.

 

“Did I hear Daichi?”  Koutarou asked, looking over from between his legs, happy grin evident even with the pixelated video.  “Hi Dai!”

 

“Hello Kouta,” Daichi set up the phone in front of his computer screen so he could continue working but still see his phone.  “You’re dating a lecher.” Daichi informed Koutarou whose butt was taking up most of the screen as he bent over with a low groan, pressing his palms flat against the floor.

 

“Yeah but he’s our lecher.”  DAichi wasn’t sure but he thought he saw Koutarou throw a wink at him.  Daichi didn’t know exactly when, or why, he had become apart of the couple but both had been doing it for years.  Mostly he ignored it. DAichi was pretty much their permanent third wheel but he had never felt discluded or like he was intruding.  After such a long time of feeling left out of his own relationship it felt nice to be apart of something.

 

Daichi cringed at his own inner musings.  He really needed to get control of his emotions before he started crying just because Koutarou called Tetsurou their lecher.  How ridiculous.

 

“How’s your shoulder?”  DAichi asked as Koutarou sat down, making a figure four with his legs and stretching out to his extended leg.  Professional athletes weren’t exactly easy on their bodies. It hadn’t been a big injury on his right shoulder, just years of wear and tear making it progressively weaker.

 

“I have a doctors appointment tomorrow but it's feeling pretty good!”  Koutarou switched legs after he had explained.

 

“You should have told me, I could have gone with you.”  Koutarou wasn’t afraid of the doctors, not exactly. But it did make him anxious, probably fearing the day when the damage was extensive enough to warrant major surgery and the possibility of ending his career.

 

The camera switched back to Tetsurou.

 

“I’m taking him and going into work a little later.”  Tetsurou said but his smile was a little softer than his normal cheshire cat grin.

 

Sometimes Daichi forgot how easy it was with his two friends.  Mostly he just listened as Koutarou talked, Tetsurou adding things here and there as Daichi worked his way through the pile of paperwork.  It reminded him of their college days. How sometimes they would all just gather to do homework together, no matter if they had already spent most of the day in each others presence.  But it had always been like that with them, even during their first training camp back in high school.

 

“Daichi?”  He hummed to let Koutarou know he was listening even if his eyes never left his computer screen.

 

“How much longer do you think you’ll be?”  Daichi glanced at the dwindling pile, noting the late hour as he did so.

 

“Maybe half an hour.”  Daichi looked at his phone just in time to see Koutarou give a look to Tetsurou, who was off camera.

 

“We’ll let you finish up and see you soon.”  Tetsurou said, switching the screen again but Daichi had seen Koutarou scrambling to his feet.  They said their goodbyes before the call was ended.

 

Daichi returned to his work, thinking about maybe taking the long way back to their apartment.  They were probably eager to realize they suddenly had some time alone, Koutarou was back in Tokyo after being gone for some months and Daichi had roomed with them before, knew they had an active sexlife.  They weren’t hormonal teenagers anymore but Daichi wouldn’t fault them this time alone.

 

Roughly forty minutes later DAichi was making his way out of the building while wondering if he should stop by the ramen place nearby.  They knew his order and that would give Tetsurou and Koutarou a bit more time to spend alone. Plus the soup he had consumed was several hours earlier and he felt hungry again.

 

“Daichi!”  Koutarou’s voice rang out, shocking Daichi into nearly dropping his phone.  Koutarou ran over to him like an eager puppy, Tetsurou following at a more leisurely pace.

 

“What are you two doing here?”  Daichi asked, easily accepting Koutarou’s hug.

 

“We thought we would come get you and go out for dinner.”  Tetsurou explained when he got within earshot. Daichi looked at the both of them as he rubbed the back of his neck.

 

“I thought you’d want some alone time.”  Daichi admitted honestly.

 

“What is even the point of alone time without you?”  Koutarou asked, already looping his arm through Daichi’s and dragging him down the street.  “Remember when we used to spend every waking moment together?” Koutarou pressed the side of his face against Daichi’s as if to emphasize his point.  Daichi snorted, gently knocking their shoulders together to get Koutarou to take half a step back.

 

“I’ve tried hard to forget it.”  Daichi said. There had been a time where it did seem as if they spent every waking and even sleeping moment together.  Between their shared dorm, volleyball, and even some of the same general education classes they did spend the majority of their time together.  It wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, they were young men living on their own for the first time and they were under a great amount of stress sometimes.

 

“You love us.”  Koutarou stated but there was something in his tone.  Daichi couldn’t figure it out before Tetsurou started speaking.

 

“Remember that time Kou wouldn’t talk to us for two entire days just for us to find out he was angry for something our other roommate did?”  Tetsurou grinned as Daichi laughed and Koutarou sputtered indigninantly.

 

“I’m still not convinced he even existed.”  Koutarou pouted. Their first year they had roomed together with a mysterious fourth roommate who was never really around but still managed to be the rudest person.  Food was always going missing, previously clean clothes turned up stained or in the dirty laundry basket, pens and notebooks were taken, and at one point Koutarou’s entire bed, blankets and all, disappeared.  It took them all a long time, and several fights, to realize it wasn’t any of them doing those things.

 

They walked into a restaurant, Koutarou’s idea most likely given the sound of sizzling grilled meat but Daichi wasn’t complaining.  He couldn’t remember the last time he had gone out to dinner with someone else. The food was good, the conversation easy. They talked about college a little before switching into more current topics.

 

“My mom is dating Naoi.”  Tetsurou stated.

 

“Your high school coach?”  Koutarou asked and Daichi was able to put a face to the familiar sounding name.

“Go mama Kuroo.”  DAichi whooped quietly, earning a not-so quiet laugh from Koutarou and a half-hearted glare from Tetsurou.

 

“He did hold the title of coach everyone was most like to-” Tetsurou made a vague motion with his hand, not willing to say the actual word when amongst families and children in the crowded place.  “-for two and half years running at the camp.” Koutarou said, chopsticks clicking as he waited for the meat to cook.

 

“Who beat him out of his spot?”  Daichi asked.

 

“Ukai.”  Tetsurou stated with a satisfied grin.  Daichi pointed his chopsticks at Tetsurou, something his mother definitely would have smacked him over the head for.

 

“Don’t objectively my coach.”  Daichi warned, only partially joking.  “Anyways he just had a kid with Tanaka’s older sister.”  No one had been more surprised about Ukai Keishin and Tanaka Saeko dating than Ryuunosuke.

 

“The bald kid who had a crush on you?”  Tetsurou asked, false innocence in his voice.

 

“Why are you always trying to start something?”  Daichi was in too good of a mood to even pretend to be annoyed.

 

“He was in love with you, he threatened me and Tetsu when we stopped by during golden week during our first year in college.”  Koutarou said, parcelling out the cooked food.

 

“He’s just protective.” Daichi said, though he wasn’t quite sure now.  Tetsurou was an asshole but Koutarou didn’t joke about things like that.  The more Daichi thought about it, the clearer it became.

 

“Kid worshipped you.”  Tetsurou said without remorse.  He then cackled as Daichi groaned, earning  a soft punch to the shoulder.

 

“You didn’t know.”  Koutarou consoled Daichi by giving him ore grilled meat, which did help a bit.  It also helped that it had been years ago and Daichi had it on good authority that Ryuunosuke was happily married to his childhood friend, Amanai Kanoka.  He had stood up in their wedding after all.

 

The conversation devolved from there.  Mostly they teased each other for various things they had done in their pasts, bringing up some things that had them groaning and laughing at the same time.  Daichi found himself thinking about how he hadn’t thought of Hajime once during the dinner, not since Koutarou called out to him on the street.

 

“How are your parents?”  Koutarou asked after he had admitted he was meeting with his own parents later that week.  Koutarou’s relationship with his parents was strained at best. They had done everything they thought parents should do.  Koutarou always had new clothes, he was fed three full meals a day, and they had even gotten him a dog when he asked for one.  But there was no warmth in his house. It had taken Koutarou a long time to realize it was nothing he did wrong. The expectations on his parents were that they were to get married, have children, and good careers.  Koutarou had just been a check on a list for them and there had been no affection for a boy who so clearly yearned for it.

 

Daichi had no problem giving Koutarou all the affection he wanted but he was glad the other man had people like Tetsurou and Keiji in his life.  People who saw how wonderful Koutarou was, who appreciated him and were there for him before Daichi had even known Koutarou.

 

“I’m sure they are fine, haven’t talked to them in a while.”  Daichi cringed as soon as the thoughtless words were out of his mouth.  The other men looked at him with raised eyebrows and downturned mouths.

 

The Sawamura household was almost the complete opposite of the Bokuto’s.  They would never be wealthy but there was an over abundance of love and affection, more than enough to go around.  Daichi simply didn’t go extended amounts of time without talking to someone in his old house. “The twins are graduating soon.  I didn’t want to cause anymore stress.” Daichi tried to defend himself but it sounded weak even to his own ears.

 

The truth was Daichi and Hajime’s mothers had become close friends and Dachi did not want to cause any unease between them.  None of the Sawamura children were any good at hiding things from their parents. Daichi knew the moment he talked to his mother she would know something was wrong.  Daichi had never been able to, or wanted to, lie to his parents. Once he started to tell the truth he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop the flow of words.

 

Daichi barely managed to tell Tetsurou and Koutarou the bare basics, he was nowhere near ready enough to tell his parents.  He knew his time was running out to tell them but he just needed a bit more time.

 

“I want to fight Iwaizumi.”  Tetsurou and Daichi both laughed at Koutarou’s declaration.  “I”m serious! I’m going to fight him.”

 

“Hey Daichi?”  Tetsurou asked, smirk tilting higher on the right side of his mouth.

 

“Yes Tetsurou?”  Daichi could almost guess what was to come next just by the teasing glint in Tetsurou’s eyes.  By Koutarou’s pout he had an idea too.

 

“Remind me again how Koutarou’s first, and only, fight ended?”  Tetsurou asked arm coming around Koutarou’s neck to pull the man closer.  Koutarou’s pout remained but he didn’t fight against the other mans pull.

 

“I believe he cried, did he not?”  Daichi leaned against Koutarou’s other side to let him know he was joking.

 

“Indeed he did.”  Tetsurou exclaimed.

 

“I felt bad!”  Koutarou’s pout was exaggerated.  It shouldn’t have been as adorable as it was consider he was a fully grown adult man.

 

And just like that Daichi’s negative thoughts were banished once more.  He didn’t even know if they were doing it purposefully or if it was just instinctual at that point.  Either way Daichi felt a swell of affection for the duo who had been there for him all throughout their adult lives.  He might complain and whine about them but he was eternally thankful to have them in his life.

 

They all changed into pajamas once they got back to the apartment, meeting back up in the living room and pilling onto the couch together.  Koutarou and Daichi let Tetsurou have control of the television without complaint. Tetsurou tended to be a bit of a control freak when it came to what he watched.  A television snob despite having the most abysmal taste. Both Koutarou and DAichi had learned long ago it wasn’t worth Tetsurou picking a-art whatever they chose to watch.

 

Tetsurou sat in the middle seat, bundled up in his favorite fuzzy throw while Koutarou sprawled across his lap and Daichi tucked himself against Tetsurou’s side.  The tall man had poor circulation which only got worse the older they got. He was constantly cold but both Koutarou and Daichi were more like furnaces, always running hot, and neither minded sharing warmth.  It was familiar and comforting, Daichi felt his eyelids grow heavy relatively quickly as Koutarou and Tetsurou bickered over the merits of having robots that may grow sentient and kill them.

 

“Hey.”  Daichi said drowsily, interrupting their argument.  Tetsurou ran his fingers lightly through Daichi’s hair while Koutarou pushed against the arm rest so he could proel his body over Tetsurous lap and onto Daichi’s.  “Thank you for all of this. Taking me in, listening to me.” Daichi was too tired at that moment to feel embarrassed of what he’d put them both through the past couple days but the shame had kept him from acknowledging everything they had done for him for too long.

 

“Anytime Dai.”  Tetsurou said, resting his head atop DAichi’s.

 

“Yeah, we love you.”  Koutarou said, eyes big and honest where he was looking up at Daichi from his lap.  Tetsurou cleared his throat as Daichi gently squeezed Koutarous nose.

 

“Love you too ya big sap.”  Daichi rested fully against Tetsurou, hand laying on Koutarou’s shoulder as he drifted off.  He didn’t miss the look exchanged between the other two men but he was too content to pay it much mind.

  
  
  
  


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The next morning he wasn’t even surprised to wake up in bed with the other two men.  He remembered being woken and led to bed. Tetsurou’s unpleasantly cold toes being pushed against Daichi’s calves, Koutarou’s nose brushing against Daichi’s adams apple as he tucked himself beneath DAichis chin.  What was surprising was to see Koutarou’s eager eyes an inch from Daichi’s face. Tetsurou continued to sleep peacefully on even as Daichi fought to get control of his racing heart.

 

“Remember you said you wanted to get back into shape?”  Koutarou yell-whispered. He was so close that Daichi could smell the mint on his breath and felt the other man's nose brush against his own.

 

“I did, didn’t I?”  Daichi took a deep breath and said goodbye to any chance of going back to sleep.  Daichi considered himself an early riser but he had nothing on Bokuto Koutarou.

 

So Daichi got up, tucking another blanket around Tetsurou before taking the offered clothes Koutarou was holding out.  Despite the difference in height they were nearly the same size but Daichi couldn’t help but think how the clothes looked much better on Koutarou’s athletic frame.  He put a hand over his stomach and pulled a face. He felt like he had really let himself go over the years.

 

The image of Oikawa Tooru in a towel flashed in Daichi’s mind.  How many magazine spreads had he been featured in? He had even been on all the hottest 25 under 25 lists.  Interviewers found themselves blushing and stuttering in his presence. How had Daichi ever thought Hajime, who was built like a roman god of war himself, would settle for him with the likes of Oikawa Tooru out there?

 

“Daichi?”  Koutarou asked with a frown.  Daichi shook off the self pitying thoughts.

 

“We need to stretch first, right?”  Daichi began his stretches on the sidewalk in front of their apartment building.

 

“Don’t push yourself.”  Koutarou adjusted Daichi’s stance, hands assured and professional.

 

The early morning run was not what Daichi would call fun.  He wheezed his way through what five years ago would have been a mere warm up for him.  Koutarou was encouraging, never pushing Daichi too far but he still felt a wave of shame come over him.  How had he allowed himself to get so bad? He was covered in sweat while Koutarou looked fresh as a daisy.

 

“What is your goal with working out?”  Koutarou asked but didn’t wait for Daichi to answer.  That was good because Daichi was struggling to breath as they did their warm down walk back to the apartment.  “Is it to look like Oikawa? Because it’s good to have goals but you need to keep them realistic.” Daichi felt himself bristle despite knowing it was the truth.

 

“I know I’ll never look like Oikawa.”  Daichi said, brows furrowing as he looked ahead.

 

“Good because it’s not possible.”  Koutarou was looking at Daichi but he found it hard to meet the taller man's eyes at the moment.  “Daichi I’m a professional athlete and I don’t even look like Oikawa. He has a nine step skin routine and he goes on these crazy fasts before photoshoots.  You’re body type is completely different than his and we- that is, me-” Daichi came to a stop, putting his hand on Koutarou’s bicep to try and give comfort.

 

“Hey it’s okay.”  Daichi found himself saying because Koutarou looked really upset.  Daichi knew Koutarou hadn’t meant it to be insulting.

 

“No it’s not because I know what it’s like to never feel good enough or too much of the wrong thing.”  Koutarou’s brows were pinched, his face open and vulnerable, big light brown eyes begging for Daichi to understand.  “I don’t want to insult Oikawa to make you feel better but the world already has one Oikawa Tooru, it needs Sawmaura Daichi.  You’re amazing and if someone can’t see that then it’s their loss. You’re unbelievably kind and warm and hilarious and- and you do things for others just to help, you never expect anything in return, and if it’s your looks you’re worried about you shouldn’t!  You’re beautiful, you have killer thighs and this one dimple that comes out when you really smile and your laugh is one of my favorite sounds and your eyes are so soft and caring and you give the best hugs, you’re so warm and comforting and you do this thing with your hand that makes me feel like everything is going to be okay-”

 

Daichi stepped forward to give Koutarou that hug.  He gently cupped the back of Koutarou’s neck, curling his fingers into the short hairs there, pulling his head to rest in the space between Daichi’s shoulder and neck.  Koutarou’s arms wrapped around Daichi’s back, tugging him closer.

 

Daichi didn’t know why his heart was pounding so hard, he hoped Koutarou couldn’t feel it from where they were pressed together and if he could he hoped the other man would write it off as a result of their short run.  It had nearly felt like a confession, what Koutarou had said, but Daichi banished the thought as soon as it came to him. Koutarou was an honest person by default, it certainly wasn’t the first time he had complimented Daichi but normally it wasn’t so rapid fire.  As if Koutarou had been holding the words in for a while.

 

“You’re enough, more than enough.”  Koutarou mumbled against Daichi’s collarbone.

 

“I’m sorry Kouta, I know you didn’t mean anything by what you said earlier I’m just feeling sorry for myself.”  Daichi knew Hajime hadn’t been in love with Tooru for over two decades because of the man's looks. Hajime wasn’t so shallow, plus he had seen Tooru through every awkward stage in their lives.  “I think I was just concentrating on appearance because otherwise I might have to admit it was just me that was the problem. I can get healthier, work off fat and gain muscle but I can’t change me.”  Koutarou pulled back enough to rest his forehead against Daichi’s.

 

“You know there’s plenty of people who love you for you.”  Koutarou admitted softly.

 

“Just not the one I spent years in a relationship with, right?”  Daichi responded ruthlessly back but he was done with the self pity.  “You really think I have killer thighs even now?” He asked jokingly but Koutarou never got the chance to answer.

 

Someone cleared their throat, causing Daichi and Koutarou to pull back.  Daichi looked to his side, ready to apologize for blocking the way but the words died in his throat when he recognized who was standing there.

 

“Oikawa!”  Koutarou stepped forward, standing just in front of Daichi.  His tone was friendly but Daichi had the distinct feeling he was being protected.  “What brings you here? Taking a run? That’s great, we were doing the same.” Koutarou said cheerfully.  Toru was dressed in some fairly nice looking exercise gear.

 

“It didn’t look like running to me.”  Tooru said in a high pitched cheery tone that Daichi knew was completely fake.  “I actually came to talk to Sawamura.” His smile would probably seem friendly to any outsider but Daichi had known the other too long to be fooled.  By the way Koutarou stiffened he saw the same thing as Daichi.

 

“You should go make sure Tetsurou’s awake, your appointment is soon.”  Daichi told Koutarou before he could say anything more. Koutarou had some truly strong protective instincts but Daichi did not want any bad feelings between the two men who played on the same team.

 

Koutarou turned to study Daichi’s face before giving a stiff nod.  They were right outside their apartment complex so he didn’t have far to walk.

 

“See you around Oikawa.”  Koutarou somehow managed to make the words sound intimidating.  Daichi sometimes forgot how terrifying Koutarou could be. His big sunshine personality and friendly smile made him approachable but he was still tall and heavily muscled.  When he dropped the smile and let his eyes go hooded people tended to step back.

 

Tooru and Daichi watched Koutarou walk away before turning their attention back to each other.  Daichi could not even fathom why Tooru would decide to show up now, it had been days since Daichi broke up with Hajime after all.

 

“I kept waiting for you to come back, realize what a big mistake you made but now I can see you’ve already moved on.”  Tooru finally spoke up when he realized Daichi refused to. Daichi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that even as he felt his heart beat faster in his chest, not liking the petulant and accusatory tone Tooru was taking.

 

“Come back to what?”  Daichi asked, forcing himself not to cross his arms and adopt a defensive pose.  Objectively he knew the breakup wasn’t Tooru’s fault, but that didn’t stop Daichi from wanting to place some of the blame on the other man.  For a long time Daichi had thought Hajime’s feelings had been one sided but after the past couple months he had realized they weren’t. He wasn’t sure why Tooru had never made that step when he so clearly loved Hajime but he couldn’t find it in himself to care any longer about it.

 

“I found your little note you left,” Tooru spat out and Daichi resisted the urge to take a step back.  “You should be glad I found it before Hajime did. I figured you were just having some quarter life crisis and needed some time so I did you a favor and got rid of the note and told Hajime that you had gone home to visit your family.  I kept waiting for you to come back but you never did, not even to properly explain anything to Hajime. Was he not even worth the effort? To busy shacking up with those-”

 

“Consider your next words very carefully Oikawa.”  Daichi snapped out, unable to stop himself. “You can say whatever you want about me but you have no right to bring anyone else into this.”  Daichi couldn’t even fully process everything he had been told because there was a white hot anger fighting for control of him.

 

Hajime did not even know Daichi had broken up with him?  Tooru thought that Daichi was so fickle he would break up, after years of dating Hajime, on a whim?  And immediately jump into a relationship with someone else, two people who were very much in a happy monogamous relationship?

 

Daichi could not handle anymore, he started to walk towards the door of the apartment complex.  All the shame and hurt that came with leaving that letter, an entire weekend spent doubting himself and crying and Hajime hadn’t even received it?  Did not even know they were broken up, hadn’t even realized that Daichi had taken all of his things and left?

 

Daichi’s arm was grabbed roughly, pulling him to a sharp stop and he felt his hand curl into a fist.  He turned on Tooru quickly, who seemed to recognize the threat, quickly releasing Daichi and stepping back but it was enough for Daichi’s anger to disappear as cold shame washed over himself once again.  He was not a violent person, he had never wanted to hit someone let alone almost done it.

 

This time when Daichi walked away Tooru let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost been a year since I wrote the first chapter?? What????

**Author's Note:**

> I do not enjoy making Iwaizumi out to be the bad guy but I needed him in this role!


End file.
